Misunderstandings
by dawn341
Summary: First season story. A series of misunderstandings drive a wedge between Richie and Duncan


Misunderstandings by Dawn Cunningham

Standard disclaimers apply. Duncan, Tessa and Richie belong to Rysher and all other characters are a figment of my over-active imagination.

This story takes place during the first season sometime shortly before they go to Paris.

* HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL

Misunderstandings by Dawn Cunningham

Richie stared at the phone in trepidation and then flipped his eyes toward the clock. Mac had called home every night that week at 7:00 and it was 6:59 now. He had been traveling around the country, visiting some old friends and attending antique auctions. Tonight, according to his itinerary, he should be in New York, visiting Connor. In a minute, Richie was going to have to tell him what had happened and that was something he didn't want to do.

Even though he was expecting the call, Richie jumped when the phone rang. He fumbled with the receiver and finally got it up to his ear. "A-antiques," he stuttered.

"Richie? It's Duncan," the strong baritone voice came across the line.

"Uhhh. Hi, Mac."

"So, how are things there? Any disasters happen?" Warm amusement colored Duncan's voice.

Richie swallowed hard. Every night Mac asked the same question and so far the teenager had always jokingly responded 'not yet'. But not tonight. "Uhhh... Well, yes, kinda."

A long silence. "What's wrong?"

"Uhhh... Well... Uhhhh... Tessa's in the hospital," Richie finally blurted out.

"WHAT? What happened? Is she sick? Injured? What?"

"The doctor said she had a... a... compound fracture of her arm and they had to operate on it, but they said she would be just fine. She also has a concussion and she can't remember the accident. But that might only be temporary. The docs aren't sure. You can call and talk to her yourself. She's at St. Joe's. Room 514."

"What accident?"

Richie shivered at the deadly tone of Mac's voice. "We were in a car accident and... and... I put the car in a ditch and... she was bleeding pretty bad and... the ambulance came and took her away... and... and..." Richie had to stop talking as the memories of the accident assailed him.

"*You* put the car in the ditch?"

"Ummm... Yes, I was driving. Mac, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to get Tessa hurt," Richie said in a small voice.

"When did the accident happen?"

"Late last night. I wanted to get hold of you earlier, but the hotel that you were supposed to be at said you never checked in. I didn't know how to find you. Tessa wanted to check out Vino's-that new restaurant out at Steward's Point. We drove out there after she finished talking to you last night. She asked me to drive home because she had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. She thought it would be safer if I drove. Guess she was wrong."

"We'll talk more about this when I get home. I'll get on the first flight out of here and be there as soon as possible. Good-bye."

Richie stared at the receiver in his hand. Mac hadn't even asked him if he was okay. He tried to tell himself that it was only because the Immortal was too worried about Tessa and couldn't wait to talk to her himself. But it had been obvious that he blamed the teenager for the accident. Mac probably wouldn't believe him about the cause of the crash any more than the cops had.

Mentally, Richie replayed the accident, trying to figure out if there had been anything else he could have done. He'd done this many times last night and early this morning while he waited to hear if Tessa was all right. Each time he came to the conclusion that he'd done the only thing possible. But that didn't stop him from feeling guilty about the whole thing. And it didn't help that the cops kept acting like he must have caused the accident himself.

Richie sighed and carefully got to his feet, wincing as his cracked ribs protested the movement. Slowly, he headed for the back door and the parked T-bird. Mac would be upset that Richie was driving it, but the teenager knew that he couldn't manage his motorcycle in his condition. He had promised Tessa he would come back later after he had talked to Mac and he wasn't going to break that promise.

* HL * HL

Richie pushed open the door to Tessa's hospital room and peered in. He could see her lying in the bed on the far side of the room with her eyes closed. Her right arm was in a cast from fingers to elbow and she had a gauze bandage on her forehead. Quietly he went in and shut the door behind him, not wanting to disturb her. Tip-toeing across the room, he laid down the bag he was carrying and put the vase of flowers on the nightstand by the bed.

"They're beautiful, Richie. Thank you."

Richie spun around and saw Tessa's eyes open. "I'm sorry, Tess. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping. In fact, I just finished talking to Duncan. I tried to tell him he didn't need to come home, but he wouldn't listen."

"Yeah, that's Mac all right. Once his mind is set on something, there's no changing it. So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. My arm hurts, but that's to be expected." Tessa looked Richie over carefully. "But what about you? Were you injured at all? Did the doctors check you out too? Because if they didn't..."

"Relax, Tessa. They poked and prodded and took x-rays like there was no tomorrow. I'm surprised I'm not glowing by now from all that radiation." Richie grinned at her. "I got off easy-just some cracked ribs and a sprained wrist." He showed her the tape wrapped around his left hand and wrist. They'd given him a sling to use, but he had discarded it as soon as possible. "I won't be able to do any heavy lifting for a while but, other than that, I'm going to be fine. And if you had kept your arm inside the car, you wouldn't have been injured so bad either," Richie scolded her.

"I just wish I could remember what happened," Tessa sighed.

"What's the last thing you *do* remember?"

Tessa frowned as she thought about it. "I can remember getting in the car. And then I think I turned on the radio..."

"That's right," Richie replied. "Some of your high-brow music."

"So what happened after that?"

Richie shook his head. "I'm not supposed to tell you. The doctors and the cops want you to remember on your own. They don't want me to *taint* your memories," he said bitterly.

"Why? I don't understand."

"Don't worry about it, Tessa. Now then, I've brought you some books and magazines." Richie held up the bag. "I've had the car towed to a body shop and I can handle the antique store by myself. All you need to think about is getting plenty of rest so that they'll let you out of here."

Tessa wasn't about to let him change the subject. "Did you do something wrong, Richie? Was the accident your fault?"

Richie sighed. "Tessa, I'm not supposed to talk to you about it. Now, please let it drop." He looked around the room searching for something else to talk about. "Couldn't they find you a better room? This place isn't exactly the Ritz." He frowned at the faded wallpaper and curtains.

"The room is fine, Richie." Tessa smiled. "It's the nursing care that's important. Besides, how would you know what the Ritz looked like, hmmm?"

"Well, I've got a great imagination."

"You won't get any argument from me there."

Just then a matronly nurse marched into the room. She briskly checked Tessa's temperature, pulse and blood pressure. "Okay. We need to take a little walk now."

"Walk?!" Richie exclaimed. "She just had surgery! She needs bedrest."

The nurse scowled at the youth. "Nonsense. The best thing for her is to start walking around. All patients have to walk at least three times a day. It's good for the circulation and actually speeds the healing. If you like, you can walk with her." The nurse helped Tessa slide into a robe and tied the belt for her. "There we go. Now, we'll take it nice and easy this first time."

With Richie's assistance, Tessa got to her feet and headed for the hospital corridor.

"You're doing just fine," the nurse said. "Follow the main hallway, it will bring you back around to here. Try going around twice if you can." She left them to continue their stroll.

Tessa looked a little shaky as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Richie kept a close watch on her, prepared to catch her if she should fall. He saw her glance at him and could tell she was trying to hide a smile.

"Relax, Richie."

"I just don't want you to fall and hurt yourself." He guessed he might be overdoing it, but he felt responsible for her being in the hospital. Mac would kill him if she got hurt again.

Tessa stopped and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm going to be fine. And I'm glad you're here to help me."

Richie beamed at her before urging her on. "Don't want the dragon lady to come back and yell now, do we?"

Tessa giggled and continued walking. "She isn't that bad, Richie."

"Okay, how about battle-ax then? Gorgon? Witch?"

"Richie! Shame on you. Now how am I supposed to look at her without thinking of that!"

The teenager just grinned at her.

Tessa was grateful to get back to her bed at the end of the requisite laps. "I can't believe how difficult that was," she exclaimed.

"That's because you lost a great deal of blood," the nurse stated as she marched back into the room. She frowned at Richie. "Visiting hours are over. You'll have to leave."

Richie held his hands up. "Don't shoot. I'll go peaceful." He turned to Tessa. "I'll come by tomorrow night after the store closes. Okay? And get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Tessa saluted him. "Good night, Richie."

"Night, Tess."

* HL * HL

Richie got up from the desk in the office when he heard the back door open. Going into Tessa's workshop, he found Mac dumping his suitcases by the stairs leading into the apartment. "Hey, Mac. You made good time. I didn't expect you here until at least noon."

Duncan frowned at him. "I said I'd get back here as soon as possible," he growled.

"Well, aren't we in a cheery mood."

Duncan scrubbed at his face with his hands. "Listen, Richie, I don't need any of your smart remarks. I've spent the last fifteen hours either on a plane or sitting in an airport waiting room."

"Don't blame me! You didn't have to come home. Tessa told you that. She's going to be fine and will be back home tomorrow or the next day."

Duncan glared at the youth before heading for the apartment. "Bring my bags up, Richie. I'm going to shower and change so that I can go over to the hospital."

"And what am I? Some kind of servant or something?" Richie muttered to himself as he walked over and looked at the bags and then at his taped wrist. He reached down and started to pick up one of them with his good hand only to let it go instantly, gasping as his ribs sent a wave of pain through his body.

Twenty minutes later, Richie was busy unpacking a crate of porcelain statues, when Duncan came stomping into the store. "I thought I asked you to bring up my bags."

"You didn't *ask* me, you *told* me. If you want a bellboy, go hire someone else," Richie snapped back.

Duncan sighed. "Would it have hurt you to do it anyway?"

Richie thought about saying 'yes, it would have', but changed his mind and just shrugged. He made sure that he kept his taped wrist out of sight. He wasn't about to tell Mac that he'd been injured in the accident too, unless the Immortal asked first.

"Fine, I'll do it myself later," Duncan snarled. "Where are the keys to the T-bird?"

Richie dug them out of his jeans pocket and tossed them to Mac.

Duncan stared at the keys and then at Richie for several long moments. "Why do you have the keys in your pocket?"

The teenager almost flinched at the cold tone of MacLeod's voice. "I needed to run some errands this morning."

"And what's wrong with your bike now?"

"Nothing."

"So you just decided to drive the T-bird around instead. You weren't satisfied with wrecking Tessa's car? You decided to see if you could wreck the T-bird too?"

Richie gaped at the Immortal in shocked silence before a wave of anger rolled through him. Without a word, he stalked to the front door, yanked it open and left the shop, slamming the door behind him.

"Damn," Duncan muttered as he watched Richie disappear from sight. Not that he blamed the teenager-that crack about wrecking the car had been unjustified-at least until he found out what caused the accident. He would have to get his hands on the police report. Right now he doubted that Richie would even speak to him-let alone tell him what happened. The Immortal made a mental note to apologize to Richie the next time he saw him. And he still hadn't gotten around to asking the young man whether he had been hurt in the accident. It mustn't have been too bad, he seemed to be getting around just fine. With a deep sigh he went out to the T-bird and headed for the hospital.

* HL * HL

It took more than two hours before Richie felt calm enough to return home. He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the closed sign in the window. He'd promised Tessa that he'd manage the store today and he hadn't lived up to it.

Letting himself in, Richie immediately headed for the desk chair in the office. He gingerly sat down and propped his arm on the desk, giving a sigh of relief. Maybe he should have worn the sling after all. He debated taking a couple of the pain pills he had been given, but decided not to since they almost knocked him out. He wouldn't be able to run the store if he did that.

Fortunately, there were few customers or deliveries for the rest of the day. Richie could barely wait to lock the front door behind the last customer. He glanced at his watch as he went into the kitchen-only an hour until visiting time at the hospital.

The teenager made himself a sandwich and sat down at the dining room table to eat. He wasn't really hungry-the throbbing in his wrist and the constant ache every time he took a breath had robbed him of his appetite. He knew that there was no way he could ride his bike to the hospital and Mac hadn't returned home, so he couldn't get a ride with him. The Highlander had probably spent all day with Tessa. Richie snickered a little at the thought of the old battle-ax nurse trying to evict Mac from Tessa's room. That meant that if he was going to visit Tessa, he'd have to take a taxi, but that cost money. Something he didn't have too much of. There was only one thing to do. Richie finished his sandwich and went to the phone.

The phone was answered quickly on the other end and a deep voice echoed over the line. Richie closed his eyes for a moment and wished that Tessa had answered instead. "Hey, Mac. It's Richie. Can I talk to Tessa?"

"What's wrong now?"

"Nothing's wrong," Richie answered defensively. "I just want to talk to Tessa, that's all."

"What is it, Richie?" Tessa's softly accented voice came next.

"Hi, Tessa. How you doing?"

"I'm better. The doctors say I can come home tomorrow."

"That's great. Listen. I know I said I'd come visit tonight, but since Mac is already there, I don't want to tire you out with too much company."

"You can still come to visit even if Duncan is here," Tessa insisted.

"I *know* that, Tessa. It's just that I'm... I've got something else I have to do." Richie just couldn't bring himself to tell her that he was tired and hurting and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.

"Are you feeling all right, Richie? You sound tired."

"I'm fine, Tessa." Richie felt warmed by the concern in her voice.

"Well, try to get some rest. You were hurt in the accident too-remember? You shouldn't be running around town so soon."

"I will, Tessa. I promise I'll turn in early tonight. I'll see you tomorrow when you come home. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you then. Good night, Richie."

Richie said good-bye and hung up. He headed for his bedroom and then into the adjoining bathroom. The teenager grabbed the bottle of pills sitting on the counter-top with his taped left hand and struggled to remove the child-proof cap. Every time he tried to press down on the bottle, a shaft of pain went up his arm.

Finally, he trapped the bottle between his arm and his chest and got the cap off only to spill the pills across the floor. "Damn," he muttered in disgust. His ribs protested when he bent over and he quickly decided to pick the pills up later, once the medication had taken effect. Richie managed to grab two pills and quickly swallowed them with a glass of water.

Heading back into the bedroom, Richie discovered he was still carrying the empty bottle, and set it on the nightstand. He didn't even bother to undress, just toed off his boots and lay down on top of the bedspread. He would just rest a few minutes and then go back and clean up the mess.

The next thing he knew, Richie felt hands shaking him roughly and slapping his face. "Richie! Richie, can you hear me?!"

The teenager managed to crank his eyes open and looked up bleary-eyed at the Highlander. "Huh?"

"How many did you take?! And how long ago? C'mon, Richie, answer me!"

"What are you talking about?" Richie managed to mumble as he closed his eyes again.

"You've got to stay awake! How many pills did you take?" Mac waved the prescription bottle in front of his open eyes.

"What? I took two-just like the prescription called for. What's your problem, Mac?"

"The bottle's empty! You just got the prescription yesterday. Where's the rest of the pills?

"I spilled them! Look for yourself!" Richie waved at the bathroom.

Mac got up and went to check Richie's story. When he returned, Richie could have sworn there was relief in the Immortal's eyes. He changed his mind when Mac attacked again.

"So why didn't you tell me how badly you were injured in the accident?"

"You didn't ask me! I figured you weren't interested. Now, do you mind? I'm tired and I'd like to go back to sleep."

"Don't you ever think of anyone else but yourself? Didn't it occur to you that I'd been up all night and might have planned on coming home and going to bed as soon as you got to the hospital? But you couldn't be bothered, could you? What was so important that you couldn't keep your promise to Tessa that you'd come visit? If I hadn't stayed she would have been alone. Tell me something. Did you even visit her last night or did you leave her in that hospital all by herself?"

Richie had felt guilt flood through him when Mac started talking, until he made that last comment. The Immortal should have known that Richie wouldn't have left Tessa alone last night. Mac was being unreasonable and the teenager had taken all he was going to take. "Get out!"

Mac turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* HL *

Duncan paced around his bedroom, wide awake and alert, thanks to the adrenaline rush that had soared through his bloodstream when he had peeked inside Richie's room. The sight of the teenager sprawled across the bed, fully dressed, and the empty prescription bottle nearby, had been so similar to what had happened three nights ago that Duncan had overreacted. Only, then, it hadn't been a case of misunderstanding. His friends' sixteen-year-old son, Jeff, had taken an overdose and the Immortal had been the one to find him.

In the long hours of wait at the hospital, Duncan had found out that this wasn't the first attempt Jeff had made at suicide. Six months earlier, Jeff had tried to wrap his car around a tree trunk. The police had called it an accident-deciding that Jeff had fallen asleep behind the wheel. But one of his friends came to the hospital that night and told them that Jeff had admitted to deliberately driving into the tree. He hadn't said anything at the time because he didn't want his friend to get in trouble. Well, Jeff was in trouble now-alive, but in a coma.

When Richie had first told him that he had driven the car into the ditch, Duncan's first thought had been of Jeff. It had taken a long time to push the possibility of the accident being deliberate from his mind. Only the fact that Tessa had been in the car, too, had made this possible. So, it was no wonder that Duncan had jumped to the conclusion that Richie had taken an overdose tonight. In his relief at finding out that he had been wrong, and with the adrenaline still pumping through his system, his next statements had come out all wrong.

He had gone to Richie's room to apologize-first for his nasty comment about wrecking the T-bird and second for telling him to bring up his bags this morning. If Richie hadn't been so closed mouth about his injuries, Duncan would have taken care of his own bags. He hadn't meant it to sound like an order either-jet lag must have caught up to him.

Of course, he had also intended to lightly chastise Richie for 'running around town', as Tessa had said, with cracked ribs. Sometimes the youth just didn't think with his head, and he had a tendency to ignore his injuries. He had no idea what Richie had to do tonight that was so important, and Tessa had looked so tired from the constant pain of her arm that he hadn't wanted to question her. It hadn't helped to listen to Tessa pour out her concerns that Richie wasn't taking care of himself.

Instead of having a calm, reasonable talk, Duncan had jumped down Richie's throat with both boots on. The Immortal sighed. Now he had three things to apologize for. But it would have to wait until morning. The waves of exhaustion were building as he calmed down and he all but fell into bed.

* HL *

When he came out of his room the next morning, Richie found Mac in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee. Still ticked off about the previous night, the teenager didn't even offer a greeting. Instead he headed for the coffee pot in silence.

"We need to talk," Duncan finally said.

"I need to open the store," Richie replied, in no mood to face any more accusations from the Immortal. "I promised Tessa that I'd take care of it, and I don't want you to accuse me of breaking that promise to her."

"Richie, wait!" Duncan's voice stopped the youth as he headed for the doorway leading to Tessa's workshop. "I shouldn't have said all those things yesterday or last night. I'm sure you had a good reason for not coming to the hospital. It's just that she was so upset and worried about you..."

Richie stared at the Immortal, analyzing what he had just heard. Mac hadn't said he was sorry for what he had said-just that he shouldn't have said them. He probably still thought they were all true. Plus, Mac had said *she* was worried not *they*. So even knowing that the teenager had been injured hadn't been enough reason for the Immortal to worry about Richie. That put a whole new light on things that had happened over the last few months since he had moved in. It had never been Richie that Mac had been worried about. The Highlander had only been concerned that Tessa was kept happy and if that meant keeping Richie out of trouble, then Mac would see to it.

"I'm sorry I worried Tessa," Richie finally blurted out. "I didn't mean to do that or have her get hurt, either."

"I know you didn't, Richie. Why don't you sit down. There's still fifteen minutes until the store needs to be opened. I need to find out some things."

Richie reluctantly went to the table and pulled out a chair. "What do you want to know?"

"I've seen the official police report, but I want you to tell me what really happened."

"What do you mean?" Richie looked at Mac in confusion.

"According to your report, you said that there were two cars coming at you-one trying to pass the other-and you put the car into the ditch to avoid a collision."

"Yeah, that's what happened."

"The police can't find any evidence or witnesses to prove there were any other cars on that road. In fact, the driver who found you said that no cars went past him, and the only turnoff was at a private estate that was blocked by iron gates."

"So what are you saying? That I'm lying about what happened?"

"I'm just saying that maybe you were... confused about what happened that night. Maybe you fell asleep at the wheel and just dreamed that there were other cars on the road."

"I know what I saw!" Richie contested hotly.

"All right. Then tell me what kind of cars they were."

Richie pounded the table with his fist. "I couldn't tell! Their headlights were blinding me and I was a little busy trying to keep the car from rolling over to check them out as they went by. And if you don't believe me, well... well... then maybe it's time I looked for a new place to live." Richie pushed his chair back from the table, uncaring that it tipped over, and stormed out of the kitchen.

Slamming doors as he went, Richie headed for the antique store. He couldn't decide who he was angrier at-himself or Mac. Of all the stupid things to say. What would he do if the Highlander told him to move out? He liked it here. Tessa and Mac were almost family now. But Mac had just made him so angry with his questions.

A short time later, while Richie was helping a customer, Mac came into the store. The Highlander waited patiently until after the lady left before turning to Richie. "I'm going to go pick up Tessa. Do you want to come along?"

Richie shook his head. "I have to run the store."

"We can close the store down for a while. It won't take that long."

"I promised Tessa," Richie replied stubbornly.

Mac gave a harsh sigh that made Richie wish he could see the Immortal's eyes, but they were shielded from view behind dark sunglasses. "Fine," the older man clipped out. "If any deliveries come, just have them leave the crates in the workshop and I'll take care of them when I get back."

"I can do my job!" Richie protested.

"I said *I'd* take care of it when I get back. End of discussion." With that, Mac spun on his heel and headed for the back door.

Richie watched him go in shock. Maybe this was Mac's way of showing the teenager that he wasn't needed around the shop. The smart thing for him to do now would be to try to find another job and a cheap place to live. He had a feeling that his days were numbered here at the store. Hopefully, Tessa would give him a good reference, but there was no way that he'd ask Mac for one.

Over the next hour, in between waiting on the few customers that came in and accepting new deliveries, Richie scanned the want ads and placed a few phone calls. Most of the sales jobs wanted someone with more than a few months' experience. He'd already tried selling used cars and while he had done pretty well at that, he'd had a hard time living with himself when he'd realized that he had been hawking lemons to unsuspecting customers. Especially when one of those had been his friend. At least he'd gotten Angie's car fixed.

* HL * HL

Before Richie knew it, he heard the sound of the back door opening. He rushed into the workshop and gave Tessa a quick kiss on the cheek. "Welcome home. Now you go right up and climb in bed. I've got everything covered in the shop, so there's nothing to worry about."

Tessa reached out and gently caressed his cheek. "I have you to worry about, Richie. You're so pale... I don't think you should be working. Duncan can take care of the shop. You should be in bed, too."

"Tessa's right, Richie. I can handle the shop by myself. Why don't you go to your room."

{In other words-you're not needed here, and just stay out of the way,} Richie thought to himself. "Sure. Fine. Whatever," he said aloud. "Let me just get something from the office first." The teenager retrieved the classifieds section of the newspaper, a pad of paper, and an ink pen before heading to his room. He might as well use the time constructively and finish checking the help wanted and apartments to rent ads.

Duncan watched with puzzled eyes as Richie walked back into the office. The teenager wasn't acting like himself. Normally, being told he didn't need to work would have brought a huge smile to his face. It was obvious from his slumped shoulders that the youth was tired and maybe even in some pain. Still, Richie had reacted almost hostilely, this morning, when he had told the youth that he would handle any deliveries today. He hadn't wanted Richie bending over or lifting things from crates with cracked ribs.

At first, he had thought that something was wrong between Richie and Tessa. The teenager seemed to be avoiding her-first last night when he didn't come to visit and then this morning when he had been invited to go along to pick her up. But the way Richie had greeted her arrival had made it clear that there were no hard feelings between them. Richie emerged from the office and went up into the apartment without even looking at the pair still standing in the workshop. Duncan sighed. "C'mon, Tessa. Let's get you to bed."

An hour later, Richie heard his door open and looked over to see Mac peering inside. "Haven't you heard of knocking? Or don't I get to have any privacy anymore?"

Duncan frowned. "I didn't want to wake you up if you were sleeping," he explained. "I'm making some soup for Tessa for lunch. Do you want some?"

Richie shook his head. "I'm not hungry right now. If I want something later, I'll fix it myself," he said curtly. He was pretty sure that if Tessa hadn't been here, Mac wouldn't have offered to make him lunch. He didn't need or want charity-in any form.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine! I just want to be left alone, okay?"

"Fine," Duncan snapped. "I'll leave you alone so you can pout all by yourself." While the Highlander didn't exactly slam the door, it was the next best thing to it.

With renewed purpose, Richie looked at the list he had made and plotted out a course that would cover as many places as possible. He waited until he heard Mac go back towards his own bedroom, before he quietly eased his door open and snuck out of the apartment. Since Mac didn't want him working in the store, all the youth had to do was be back in time to do his dinner chores. Nobody would miss him. He struck off down the street at the fastest pace his ribs would stand, headed for the bus stop.

* HL * HL

Thoroughly discouraged, Richie plodded the last two blocks home. He hadn't realized how much his viewpoint had changed in the last few months. Some of the apartments he looked at would have seemed like palaces before, now they seemed like dumps. He'd gotten used to having nicer surroundings, but he didn't have much choice-he had to rent an apartment he could afford.

Of course, that meant finding a job first. The only place that had been interested in hiring him had been the fish cannery. One of Richie's foster fathers had worked in a cannery and he had always smelled like dead fish-no matter how often he showered. Even the house had retained the odor. The youth had grown to hate the smell. He feared that, if he worked there, he would end up smelling the same way.

Letting himself into the shop, he decided that he had better get the table set for dinner so that Mac couldn't complain about him not doing his chores. But when he climbed the stairs into the kitchen, he saw that it had already been done. Except there were only two plates. Well, that made it nice and clear.

"And where have you been?" A deep voice came from the living room. "I thought you were supposed to be resting, not out carousing around town."

"I had some business to take care of," Richie retorted.

Duncan frowned at him. "What kind of business?"

Richie looked down at his shoes, trying to figure out what to say before deciding that not saying anything was the best way to handle this.

Duncan sighed. "Richie, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No! Why do you always have to assume the worst possible things? I go out without telling you and you assume I'm in trouble. Last night you saw an empty prescription bottle and assumed I'd taken an overdose. It's pretty obvious that you think I can't take care of myself. Well, hopefully I'll have a new job and a new place to live real soon! Then I'll show you and you won't have to worry about me anymore." Richie heard a loud gasp and looked over at the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Tessa stood there with one hand covering her mouth, a look of horror on her face.

"No, Richie. You can't move out. You're a member of our family now!" Tessa exclaimed as she moved towards the teenager. "I don't know what we would do without you."

"I'm sorry, Tessa. I didn't mean for you to find out this way." Richie felt like a heel when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Why do you want to move out?"

What could he tell her? That Mac was ready to throw him out any day now? That would go over like a lead balloon and of course she would have to side with her lover. "I'm sorry," he muttered again before going into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

Tessa looked over the Immortal. "Duncan? What's going on?"

"Come sit down, Tessa." He led her to the couch and pulled her down on his lap. "I don't know. He made some comment about moving out this morning, but I figured he would get over it once he'd cooled down. I never dreamed that he would take it this far."

"Why was he mad? What did you say to him?"

"Me?! All I was trying to find out was how the accident happened and he just blew up! Every time I talk to him, it seems to get worse. Maybe we should take him back to the hospital. Maybe he hit his head in the crash and has a concussion."

"That's odd. He seemed fine when he visited me in the hospital."

"He visited you in the hospital? When?"

"Well, he was there when they took me to my room. I remember seeing him, but I was pretty groggy from the surgery still. The nurses told him to go home, that I'd sleep most of the day. He came back right after I finished talking to you." Tessa smiled. "He even brought me flowers."

"Oh..." Duncan could feel a hot flush roll up his cheeks as he avoided looking at her.

"Duncan... what did you say to him?" Tessa scowled.

"I just assumed... well... that he'd left you alone in the hospital."

"Sometimes you assume too much," she scolded him.

"Well, all he had to do was say that he'd been there..." Duncan tried to defend himself.

"You're not the only person who lives here that has too much pride for their own good. What would you have done if Richie had accused you of the same thing?"

"I'd have been furious. But..."

"No, no buts," Tessa interrupted. "You owe him an apology."

"I know. I'll apologize after dinner," he conceded with a grumble.

"You'll apologize now!"

"Don't bother." Richie stood in the doorway of his room. "An apology doesn't mean much when you're ordered to give it. I'm going out and I don't know when I'll be back," he stated coldly before heading for the back door.

Duncan tried to disentangle himself from Tessa. "Richie, come back here," he ordered sternly. The teenager never even glanced back.

The Immortal finally managed to get to his feet, but by then Richie had disappeared. He glanced up and down the street, hoping to spot the youth, but had no luck. With a sigh, he turned back and noticed for the first time that the motorcycle was still there. Puzzled, he went to fetch the key and tried it out. It started on the first try.

Going back inside, he found Tessa still sitting on the couch. "I don't understand why he didn't take his bike," he muttered.

"Can you ride a bike with cracked ribs and a sprained wrist?"

"What sprained wrist?" he demanded. "This is the first I've heard about that!"

"I'm sure I told you, Duncan."

Once again the Immortal felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he recalled some of the things he had said to Richie. The teenager didn't come to the hospital last night because he had no way of getting there. He probably hadn't even left the antique store. And it explained why he had been driving the T-bird.

"I've really messed things up, Tessa." Duncan sat down and told her about everything. "I'm going to go look for him. He couldn't have gotten far on foot."

"No, Duncan. I think you've caused enough damage already. If you chase after him, he will only resent it."

Duncan almost shivered as he heard the icicles dripping from her voice. "I'm sorry." He reached out to touch her, only to have her pull away.

"You're saying that to the wrong person."

"I know. As soon as Richie comes home, I'll say it to him as well," he promised. He heard the timer go off on the oven and got up to check the casserole he had fixed earlier. "Dinner's ready," he announced.

Tessa stood and made her way to the dining area. "Why are there only two place settings?"

"I was going to fix you a tray and bring it to you in bed."

As she eased herself into her chair, she gave a sudden gasp.

Duncan flew to her side immediately. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am." She patted his arm in reassurance. "But what must Richie have thought when he only saw two place settings?"

"Come on, Tessa. He wouldn't have..." Duncan sank into his chair as he realized that Richie probably had jumped to conclusions.

They ate dinner-or rather they pushed the food around their plates in silence. Duncan didn't need the condemning looks that Tessa kept throwing him. His own guilt had his stomach churning all by itself. Finally giving in, he picked up both of their plates and dumped the food in the trash. Tessa went back to the sofa while he cleaned up the kitchen and put away the leftovers.

As the evening progressed, Duncan could feel the chasm growing between them. He didn't know what to do or say to get back into Tessa's good graces. At this point, he wasn't even sure if he would be allowed into her bed tonight. It probably didn't matter. He wouldn't be able to sleep until Richie came home and they had a chance to straighten things out. Assuming the teenager would even listen to him anymore.

* HL *

Richie sat on the park bench trying to figure out what to do. When he had come out of his room, he had planned on apologizing himself, just to bring peace back to their lives. Tessa didn't need all this hassle right now. But it had been so humiliating to hear Tessa ordering Mac to apologize and it had driven his good intentions out the window. So, instead, he had stormed out of the place.

He'd been fortunate enough to catch the city bus right away. He really hadn't been paying much attention but, the minute he had seen the park, he had gotten off the bus. It hadn't been all that long ago that he had helped Tessa and Mac set up one of her sculptures here. For a long time, he had stared at the abstract figures, trying to decide why he liked them. Maybe it was just because Tessa had made them.

He glanced at his watch-shocked to see it was almost 9:00. The buses had stopped running by now and he was miles from home. He didn't have to check his wallet to know that he didn't have enough money for a taxi. He could swallow his pride and call Mac for a ride, but the thought of the lecture that would follow already made his head hurt. That left either walking or sleeping in the park all night. And to make matters worse, he'd gone off without his keys. Mac would probably just lock the doors and not let him in.

Richie sighed. He kept seeing Tessa's stricken face. She was probably worried about him. Swallowing his pride, he went to the pay phone and placed the call. Twenty minutes later, the T-bird rolled to a stop beside him and he climbed in. The teenager sat there silently, staring straight ahead, waiting for the lecture to begin-or at least a long silent trip home. When several long minutes passed without a word, he shot a glance at Mac. The Immortal's hands were tightly clutching the steering wheel and he, too, was staring straight ahead, although he made no attempt to start the drive home.

For a moment, Richie felt the urge to snicker. This probably would look a little bit strange to anyone passing by-two guys sitting in a car looking straight ahead in silence. He opened his mouth to say something to break the deadlock, but Mac beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Richie. And I really mean that. I...I jumped to some conclusions without knowing all the facts. Will you forgive me?"

Richie stared at the Immortal, trying to decide just what he was apologizing for. He really didn't have a clue. "Sure. Why not?" he finally answered as he averted his gaze to look out his window. "Can we go home now?"

"You won't be moving out now, right? It would really upset Tessa if you did."

"Can't have that, can we?" Richie responded, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Whatever it takes to keep Tessa happy." Even if it means keeping an unwanted person around.

"So, everything's okay?" Duncan asked, just to make sure.

"Sure, everything's fine."

"Good." Duncan heaved a sigh of relief. It was over. They could get their lives back to normal.

* HL * HL

Duncan sat in the living room, ostensibly reading the newspaper. In reality he was listening to the light banter flowing between Tessa and Richie in the kitchen as they cleaned up after breakfast. His offer to help had been firmly rebuffed by the teenager. He felt a twinge of jealousy for the camaraderie that the other two were sharing.

It had been two days since he had apologized, but Richie remained aloof. The Immortal was beginning to feel like a leper. Whenever he came into a room, the youth managed to find some reason to leave. But it was so subtle, he wasn't even certain Richie was aware of what he was doing. He really missed the easy friendship they had fallen into. It hurt to watch Richie and Tessa interact so easily. It just emphasized what he had lost through his own stupidity.

Buried so deep in his thoughts, Duncan jumped as he felt a hand on his leg. Lowering the paper, he saw Tessa sitting next to him.

"What's wrong, Duncan?" she asked, concern etched across her face.

Looking around the room, the Immortal realized that Richie wasn't in sight. "I don't know what to do, Tessa. I apologized to Richie, but it doesn't seem to have helped. I mean, it's not like we're yelling at each other anymore, but we're not friends either. And I miss that a lot," he confessed. He sat there for several long moments before continuing. "I keep having nightmares about Richie walking away from me into the street, and there's a car coming, but I can't talk or move or do anything except watch as the car plows into him. It's awful."

"Talk to him, Duncan. Get it out in the open."

"How? Whenever I try to talk to him, he comes up with something that he has to do and practically runs from the room. Maybe you could..." his voice trailed off hopefully.

"No. This is between you two. You need to work it out."

"But, Tessa..."

"No! Now let's go open the shop." She rose to her feet and pulled Duncan up after her.

* HL *

Richie waited until they had gone into the antique store before emerging from his room. He had started out of his room, but stopped when he heard Mac and Tessa talking. He really hadn't planned on listening in, but when he heard the Immortal start to talk about nightmares and his name in the same sentence, his ears had just naturally perked up. Eavesdropping was a key skill for kids in orphanages and foster homes.

So the Highlander was having nightmares about him. Served him right. Richie grinned at that thought. Another thought crossed his mind and the grin was replaced by a frown. It almost sounded like Mac cared about him after all. He'd have to give that some thought. For now, he'd better get out to the antique store and help out.

* HL * HL

Duncan kept a close eye on the customer who was browsing through the shop. He didn't like the odd looks that the young man kept throwing at Tessa. She was totally oblivious to the man, too busy organizing a display case to meet her exacting standards.

The man finally picked out a small crystal vase and Duncan quickly wrote up the sale. Tessa came over as he was boxing up the delicate item.

The man looked at her face intently for a moment before sliding down to the cast on her arm. "Excuse me, but weren't you in that accident a few days ago out on Steward's Point Road?" he finally asked.

Tessa looked up, startled. "Yes, I was. Do I know you?"

"Not really. I was the EMT that responded to the accident call. What a coincidence that I came to your shop to buy my mother a birthday gift! It's nice to see that you've recovered from the crash. Others haven't been so lucky."

"What do you mean?" Duncan asked.

"There was another accident out there last night. Two kids who live on the road were drag racing. This time, instead of one car going into the ditch, the cars hit head-on. Three people died, a couple who had just celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and one of the teenagers. If the young man you were driving with hadn't gone into the ditch, you both could have died, too."

"So Richie saved my life?" Tessa asked.

"If he's the one you were with, then yes, he did. I don't know whether the doctors told you or not, but he saved your life twice that night. If he hadn't used his belt as a tourniquet on your arm, you probably would have bled to death. It's a good thing he kept his cool."

"No, I didn't know," Tessa said, one hand going up to cover her mouth. "Thank you so much for telling me."

"You're welcome." With a smile, the man left the shop.

Tessa looked over at Duncan. "Are you all right?" she questioned as she took in his pale face.

Duncan wrapped his arms tightly around Tessa and she could feel his body shaking. "Oh, Tessa. I didn't realize how close you came to dying that night. You and Richie. I could have lost the two most important people in my life."

"It's all right, Duncan," Tessa soothed him. "We're both fine, thanks to Richie."

Duncan just nodded his head, unable to speak through the lump in his throat. He tried to pull her even closer, only letting up when she squeaked in protest. "I'm never going to leave town again unless you and Richie come with me," he vowed.

"I think you're overreacting just a little bit, Duncan," Tessa explained with a smile. "I know you want to protect us, but you can't be with us every minute of every day."

"I can try," Duncan replied stubbornly.

"And you'll drive us crazy if you do. You have to accept that there are things beyond your control. Things that you can't prevent."

"You're right, Tessa." Duncan sighed. "But I don't like it."

* HL *

Richie had just finished lunch and was on his way to relieve Mac and Tessa when he overheard the two of them talking. He had no idea what had started their conversation, but hearing that Mac considered him one of the two most important people in his life had made him feel like he'd just been punched in the stomach. Quietly, on trembling legs, he made his way to his room so he could think about this in private. He knew he couldn't face Mac or Tessa until he had a chance to calm down.

Richie couldn't figure out how he could have been so wrong about Mac's feelings. He had been so sure that the Immortal didn't want him around. But, obviously, he had been wrong. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he called out, "Come in."

Duncan's head appeared around the door. "Hey, Rich. Can we talk?"

"Sure, Mac. Come on in."

Duncan came inside and sat down next to Richie. "I want to thank you. Your quick thinking saved both yours and Tessa's lives." He went on to explain what the EMT had told him and Tessa. "Thank you doesn't seem quite adequate, but I can't think of anything else."

Richie stared at the Immortal, stunned at what he had just heard. Finally he pulled himself together. "I saved Tessa's life? I knew I had to stop the bleeding, but I didn't realize how serious it was." Richie shuddered at the memory.

Duncan reached over and placed one arm tentatively around the teenager's shoulders, afraid that it would be rejected. He stifled a sigh of relief when, instead of pulling away, Richie leaned into the embrace for a moment. "Listen, Richie. There's something else I think we need to talk about. I know I misjudged you about the accident, but when you told me that you had put the car in a ditch, I guess I just assumed that the accident was your fault. All I could think of was getting home to you and Tessa, so I didn't even ask if you were hurt..."

"That's okay, Mac. I guess I didn't realize how it sounded to you."

"No, it's *not* all right. It's too easy to let misunderstandings come between people. I want to clear them all up now. When I came to your room that night, after visiting Tessa at the hospital, I had planned on finding out how you were and... well... things just went wrong." Duncan explained about how his friends' son had tried to commit suicide. "When I saw you lying there and the empty pill bottle..." Duncan just shook his head.

"That must have been rough on you, Mac. To find the kid like that."

"Not as rough as when I thought you had done the same thing. But I should have known better. You were right when you said that I always think the worst. Instead of checking on you, I ended up yelling and making more accusations. And it just got worse the next morning when I doubted your word about the police report. You had every right to get mad at me. Everything I said from that point on only made things get worse between us, but I don't understand why. Especially when I told you that I'd handle all the deliveries. Tessa said that you weren't supposed to do any lifting, but you acted like I had insulted you."

"Oh..." Richie looked away as shame washed through him.

"Talk to me, Richie. Tell me what I said that upset you."

"I guess I misunderstood. I... I thought you were just doing it to prove that I wasn't needed around the store. When you sent me to my room later, I felt like a kid being punished. At the time it seemed like you didn't..." Richie paused and swallowed hard, before spilling out the rest. "That you didn't want me around at all."

Duncan gently forced Richie's face back around so he could look him squarely in the eye. "That's not why, Richie. You shouldn't have even opened the shop at all. I just wanted you to get better. I never wanted you to move out-please believe me."

"I do now, Mac. I... I guess I jumped to some conclusions, too. You made it sound like the only reason you wanted me to stay was because Tessa wanted it. That... really... well, it hurt-I didn't know what to do." Richie could feel hot tears burning in his eyes from the memory, but he forced them back. "Man, I can't believe how far this went because we misunderstood each other."

"It's amazing, isn't it? I never want to go through anything like these past few days again. I felt like I had... lost you. I was even jealous that you and Tessa were still on good terms."

"So, how do we keep this from happening again?"

"I don't know, Richie." Duncan shook his head. "But this much I do know, if I ever do or say anything that makes you feel unwanted, tell me immediately. Don't let it simmer until it boils over. I'll work on not jumping to conclusions and making things clearer. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, Mac. It won't be easy, but I'm willing to try."

"So, is everything cleared up? And be truthful this time!"

Richie sat quietly for several long moments before grinning at the Immortal. "Everything's cool."

Duncan grinned back, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted. "Great. Now I suggest we both get back to work."

Leaving Richie's room, Duncan kept his arm draped around the teenager's shoulders as they went out to the antique store.

When Tessa saw them, her face lit up with a huge smile. "I see you've settled your differences."

Duncan and Richie nodded in unison. Tessa walked over to Richie and hugged him carefully, mindful of his sore ribs, and then placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Richie. You saved my life that night and I didn't even know it."

"I couldn't let you die, Tessa. Mac would have killed me," Richie kidded her, trying to avoid an emotional scene.

"You got that right," Duncan said as he lightly punched Richie's arm.

"I owe you my life, Richie. You were a hero that night and I'd tell the whole world that if I could. But since I can't, what would you like as a reward?"

"Tessa, the only reward I need is seeing you alive and well." Richie hugged her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Oh..." Tessa choked out before turning away.

"What? What did I say wrong?" Richie's voice escalated in panic.

Tessa turned back to him, tears glistening in her eyes and running down her cheeks. "You didn't say anything wrong. I'm so proud of you." She reached out and stroked his cheek lightly.

"We both are," Duncan added.

Richie felt his face grow warm and knew it had turned bright red. "Thanks, guys," he finally managed to force out. "I guess there's no way I could misunderstand that!"

The end.


End file.
